The Annual Dipsea Race is limited to 1,500 lucky participants. That means just as many people who apply for entry aren't as lucky.

If you haven't been able to compete in this unique trail race and be good enough to earn a pre-qualifying spot in it and you haven't been fortunate enough to beat the odds in the first come, first accepted process of applying to the race through the mail and you haven't won the silent auction or your application hasn't been randomly drawn out of a hat, here are some words of advice:

Keep trying and don't stop believing.

But there is one other way to get into the race and it's going to cost you. You might call it "bribe money." The Dipsea, an all-volunteer race, likes to think of it as donations to a great cause.

One hundred race bib numbers each year are awarded to applicants who send in checks in excess of the $75 entry fee ($50 for children under 16). This “bribe,” if sufficient and accepted for race entry, is passed directly from the Dipsea Race Committee onto the Dipsea Race Foundation, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that utilizes that money to award scholarships to deserving high school seniors and maintain the safety and well being of the Dipsea Trail.

It's a win/win proposition. If you love the race and want to make a donation that will benefit the Dipsea, this is a way to do it that may get you into the race, in a way that has multiple benefits. No one has to use this approach to gain entry, but it is an option.

In the end, if you want to get into the Dipsea at least once in your lifetime, you must ask this: Do you feel lucky or do you want to guarantee a spot in the race with an offer the Dipsea can't refuse?
Well?